Ledger-rack.



W. H. MONSARRAT.

Patented Oct. 29,1918.

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. 7 Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H.

WILLIAM HENRY MONSARRAT, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

r LEDGER-RAGK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patm t d 0 5. 29, 191% Application filed September 17, 1917. Serial Honorees.

To all whom it may concern. I

Mon- SARRAT, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and btate of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ledger-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved ledger rack and has for its primary object to provide a simple andserviceable device for supporting machine posted ledgers so that the ledger may be easily and quickly turned to enable the clerk or bookkeeper to read both sides of the ledger sheet.

It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide a rack for the above purpose including a base, a ledger support rotatably mounted on thebase', rack sections slidably mounted on said support to sustain the ledger in open position, and

' means connecting said rack sections to cause the same to move in unison so that the weight of the ledger will be balanced between said rack sections. y 7

It is also a further general object of my invention to provide a revolving, adjustable ledger rack of'the above character which is relatively simple in its construction, as well as strong and durable, highly convenient and serviceable in practical use, and capable of manufacture at comparatively small cost. With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure ,1 is a vertical sect1ona1 view through a ledger rack constructed in accordance with the preferred embodimentof my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view; and Fig. 8 is a detail section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. e

e In mechanically posted ledgers, the ledger sheets are provided with apertures along their lower or bottom edges to receive the posts of a binder. When entries are being posted in the ledger, the binder pins are removed andthe sheets placed in a post rack. After the entries have been made, the sheets are replaced in the ledger and again bound together. Entries are madeon each side of the sheet and these entries read along lines parallel to the bound edge of the sheet. Thus, in order to read both sides of the ledger sheet, it is necessary to turn the ledger completely around. Frequently these ledgers are very heavy, containing a thousand or more sheets. i

The present invention is devised with a View to relieving the clerk or bookkeeper of the necessity of lifting the heavy ledger and turning the same around in order to read the opposite side of the ledger sheet. To this end therefore, I provide a base 5, preferably having suitable foot pieces 6 at its corners, 7 designates a rotatable table in which a central rod or bolt 8 is fixed, said bolt being rotatably mounted centrally in the base 5 and having a head 9 countersunk in the under side of'said base. To the lower face of the table and the upper face of the base, bearing plates 10 and 11 respectively are secured, said plates having raceways to receive the bearing balls indicated at 1:2.

The table 7 isprovided along opposite sides with the upstanding walls 13 and each of these walls is provided with a longitulinally extending guide cleat 1 1 on its inner ace. Upon the rotary table, the ledger rack sections. are mounted, each of said sections including a bar 15 extending at right angles to the walls 13 and the relatively short end bars 16 extending inwardly at right angles to the bar 15. The bars 16 are provided in their outer faces with grooves to receive the guide cleats 14. To the inner faces of the bars 16, the upwardly extending, inclined arms 17 are suitably fixed at their lower ends.

Rack bars 18 are. countersunk in the up per surface of the table 7 and are centrally arranged between the walls 13. To the inner face of each of the bars 15, a suitable housing or casing 19 is secured, in which a pivoted dog 20 is mounted, said dog having a downwardly projecting lug or tooth 21for engagement with the teeth of one of the racks 18. This dog is yicldingly held in engagen'ient with the rack by means of a spring indicated at 22.

Upon the upper end of the bolt 8, a lever 23 is loosely engaged intermediate of its ends for pivotal movement, and to the opposite ends of this lever, the metal bars 2 1 are pivotally connected. The other ends of these bars are fixed to the respective ledger rack sections. 6

In the operation of the device, the ledger is arranged with its bound edge extending at right angles to the walls" 13 contrall'y upon the table 7 and between the spaced pairs of upwardly extending arms 16. The operator engages the upper ends of the dogs 20 with his finger and presses the same outwardly to lift'the lugs 21 from engagemei'it with the respective racks 18. The ledger rack sections are then pulled apart or moved away from each other upon the table. The opposite sides of the ledger will thus be supported upon the inclined arms 17 in open position, so that the ledger sheets can be conveniently examined. lVhen it is desired to examine the opposite side of a sheet, the table 7 is rotated upon the base 5 so that the ledger will be turned completely around. The sections of the ledger rack can be easily and quickly adjusted to properly support the ledger or to close the same by simply pushing inwardly upon one of the rack sections. Through the medium of the bars 2 1 and lever 23, the other section will be correspondingly moved. Thus, the opposite sides of the ledger will always be supported at the same inclination and the weight of the ledger properly balanced upon the table.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of my improved ledger rack will be clearly and fully understood. By means of the device, mechanically posted ledgers may be easily handled with a mini mum of manual labor, the necessity of completely lifting the ledger from the table or desk and turning the same around being obviated. The sections of the ledger rack are also capable of easy and quick adjustment. It is manifest, of course, that the rotary table may be of any desired size and that the device can be constructed so as to admit of a greater extent of adjustment of the ledger rack sections than indicated in the accompanying drawing. The device as a whole is quite-simple in its construction, not liable to get out of order, and may be manufactured at relatively small cost.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several parts, it is to be understood that the device is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention,

.what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described including a support, rack sections slida'bly mounted upon the support for movement toward and from each other and adapted for engagement with the respective sides of a ledger arranged on the support, and means connecting the rack sections to each other and operating when one rack section is manually pushed inwardly 'on the support to automatically move the other rack section inwardly to a corresponding extent.

2. A device of the character described i11- cluding a support, rack sections slidably mounted upon the su'pportfor movement toward and from each other and adapted for engagement with the respectivesides of a ledger arranged on the support, means con ried by each rack section to co-act with means on the table and hold said rack sections against relative outward movement, and means operable when one rack section is manually moved inwardly on the table to move the other rack section inwardly to a corresponding extent. j a

-l. A device of the character described including a base, a table rotatably mounted on said base and havingjopposite upstanding walls, ledger supporting rack sections slidably mounted between saidwalls for movement toward or from each other, means carried by each rack section to co-act with means on the table and hold said rack sections against relative outward movement, and alever operatively connected at its opposite ends to the respective ledger rack sections to cause a unitary movement of said rack sections toward each other.

j 5 A device of the character described in eluding a base, a table rotatably mounted on said base and having opposite upstanding walls, ledger supporting rack sections slidably mounted between said walls for movement toward or from each other, means carthe table, the other rack section is moved in- 10 l'ied by each rack section to co-act With Wardly to a corresponding extent.

means on the table and hold said rack sec- In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my tions againstlfelative ougward movement, a signature in the presence of two Witnesses. lever pivota y mounte intermediate of its ends, and bars projecting inwardly from WILLIAM HENRY MONSARRAT each rack section and pivotally connected l/Vitnesses:

to the respective ends of said lever, whereby R. F. ScHRoLL,

When one rack section is moved inwardly on J. F.. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

